Statement re: NCADD Nomination for the 1997 Hubbard Awards - Alcoholic Beverage Category

National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence
Thursday, 4 December 1997

Anheuser-Busch is this year's winner of the prestigious Harlan Hubbard Award, not only for its reckless "Buy the Beer, Get the Gear" advertising campaign, but for its chutzpah.

Encouraging consumers--who in this case would most likely be young people and alcoholics--to drink 27,000 cans or bottles of beer in six months to win a pool table goes way beyond the pale of corporate responsiblity. And continuing this campaign despite objections from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and a Superior Court judge on legal grounds demonstrates a kind of arrogance never seen among previous Hubbard Award dishonorees. Only constant vigilance by parents and the threat of a state Assembly resolution condemning the campaign finally shamed Anheuser-Busch into ending the promotion early.

"Buy the Beer, Get the Gear" exposes the hypocrisy behind Anheuser- Busch's public relations efforts to prevent underage and "abusive" drinking. It would take twenty people drinking eight beers a day, every day of the six month advertising campaign to win the pool table. I have yet to see a definition of responsible or moderate drinking that is anywhere near 8 drinks a day. In fact, the federal government has defined moderate drinking as 2 drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women.

Like the tobacco companies who use similar tactics to sell a particular brand of cigarettes, Anheuser-Busch's real agenda is addiction. They haven't forgotten that 50% of the alcohol produced in this country is consumed by just 10% of the population and they know that junior and senior high school students buy 1.1 billion cans of beer each year.

Underage drinking continues at alarming rates. It contributes to the three leading causes of death among people between the ages of 15-24 and is a main reason students drop out of school. Anheuser-Busch should keep these problems in mind the next time it decides to promote binge drinking.

For more information, or to contact National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence, see their website at: www.ncadd.org